Xiao Ci was handling official business. As night approached, a young eunuch entered to light the lamps. As the candles were lit one by one, Xiao Ci’s eyelid began to twitch violently; he had a bad premonition.
He pushed his wandering thoughts aside and continued reviewing the memorial in his hand.
“What is that commotion outside?”
The young eunuch bowed his head. “This servant shall go see.”
Before he could leave, Xiao Wen-zi pushed the doors open in a flurry. “Director, the Crown Prince has arrived.”
Xiao Ci’s face turned as black as charcoal.
Xiao Wen-zi and Xiao Wu-zi, who was guarding the hall, both knelt. “Director, please appease your anger! This servant will drive him away immediately.”
The last time the Crown Prince visited, the Director had been in a foul mood for days. They had tried to shrink themselves into ants, yet they were still scolded. Kaiyang Hall was bad enough, but word was that the Director’s private manor was even more silent—no one dared to speak above a whisper.
To them, the Crown Prince was a jinx. They had finally managed to catch a breath of air; why was he back again?
Xiao Wu-zi signaled with his eyes, but Xiao Wen-zi shook his head. What could he do? The Crown Prince was standing right outside. If the man fainted, he couldn’t take responsibility for the fallout.
“What, am I some kind of flood or savage beast?”
Xiao Wen-zi was just about to find an excuse to send him away when he heard the voice. Goosebumps instantly erupted across his skin.
It’s all over!
Xiao Ci rubbed his brow without looking up. “All of you, get out.”
Xiao Wen-zi/Xiao Wu-zi: “Yes.”
Qin Ziyu waved his hand, signaling Qing’an to go with them.
He could now walk without support, though he couldn’t stand for long periods or walk too far. The distance to Kaiyang Hall was just right.
“The hour is late. Instead of resting in the Eastern Palace, has the Crown Prince taken a liking to my Kaiyang Hall? Do you wish to change your residence?”
Qin Ziyu slowly walked to the desk. The candlelight reflected off Xiao Ci’s face, which was as pale as jade, accentuating his high nose bridge and deep-set features.
“It is not the hall I have taken a liking to.”
“It is the person inside the hall.”
Xiao Ci snapped his head up and slammed the memorial shut. “Qin Ziyu, do you want to die?”
His gaze was so sharp that even though Qin Ziyu was used to dealing with all sorts of people, his heart still hammered. He forced himself to stay still, staring unblinkingly like a man looking at his lover as if a day apart felt like three years.
Xiao Ci’s gaze involuntarily focused on that red cinnabar mole, then traveled from the mole to the Prince’s moist, reddened lips.
It wasn’t like this last time.
Xiao Ci looked away. Ever since he had “cautioned” Qin Ziyu last time, he had suffered three consecutive nights of nightmares. His dreams were filled with this person—his flushed cheeks, his tear-filled eyes, and the fine beads of sweat on his small nose.
The persistence of these nightmares had left him restless, unable to sleep night after night.
He had finally enjoyed a few days of peace and hadn’t gone to find trouble with Qin Ziyu. He didn’t go, yet Qin Ziyu came looking for him. Did the Prince truly think this place was a brothel where he could come and go as he pleased?
Qin Ziyu did not flinch. “I did not wish to disturb you, My Lord, but I truly missed you in my heart. Though my body lacks strength, this longing seems to have grown legs and walked here on its own.”
Suddenly, a candle on the desk made a soft pop as the wick sparked.
Both of them looked at the flame. Qin Ziyu smiled. “Even the candle-spark agrees with what I’ve said.”
Xiao Ci: “A sparking candle is a natural phenomenon. It means the wick needs trimming.”
Qin Ziyu: “…”
The two fell into a momentary silence. Relying on his “fragile and weak” status, Qin Ziyu sat directly in the chair closest to Xiao Ci. Xiao Ci couldn’t be bothered with him; he still had a basket of unread memorials. He didn’t attend the morning court, but all matters of the empire, large and small, had to pass through his eyes before being presented to the Emperor.
Of course, small matters were handled by the Office of Transmission and never reached him, but he was still busy extraordinarily busy. He was the Director of the Western Depot; the Eastern Depot was a mere figurehead, so everything fell under his jurisdiction.
Qin Ziyu felt a bit sleepy. The weather was turning colder by the day, and Taihe Hall had already started burning charcoal. While Kaiyang Hall wasn’t freezing, it was a bit chilly. Qin Ziyu shuffled his chair, inching closer and closer to Xiao Ci.
The sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor echoed continuously. Xiao Ci, having keen ears, had noticed from the first movement, but he didn’t ask or stop him—until Qin Ziyu ended up practically draped over him.
“What is the Crown Prince doing?”
Xiao Ci moved to the right. Qin Ziyu’s neck suddenly felt heavy, and his head nearly slammed into the armrest. In a daze, he murmured, “Don’t move.”
“Let me lean for a bit.”
He couldn’t open his eyes. Perhaps because the original host’s health was poor, a self-protection mechanism had been triggered, causing him to sleep twice as much as a normal person. Even after days of nursing, he still felt drowsy as soon as night fell.
Fortunately, he could now wake up normally in the morning without sleeping until the sun was high in the sky.
Just as Qin Ziyu was deep in his drowsiness, his chin was suddenly grabbed.
Xiao Ci lifted his face, his long, narrow eyes sweeping over the Prince’s lower eyelids. “Is the Crown Prince so at ease?”
Aren’t you afraid I’ll strike the killing blow?
Seeing that Qin Ziyu didn’t react, Xiao Ci applied a bit of force. The chin was squeezed out of shape; compared to last time, the skin felt even softer.
“It hurts.”
Warm breath brushed against Xiao Ci’s hand. Xiao Ci felt as if he had been burned; he abruptly released his grip. Qin Ziyu’s head, which had been propped up, fell forward uncontrollably, burying itself entirely in Xiao Ci’s embrace.
Qin Ziyu forced himself to blink open his eyes through the sleepiness. He had no choice—his nose had been bumped until it was sore. If he didn’t wake up, Xiao Ci might actually play him to death.
His eyes were filled with a layer of moisture as he looked up mistily. “You can kill me or cut me up as you please, My Lord, but can you let me sleep for a while first?”
Xiao Ci’s breath hitched. Images from his dreams suddenly flashed through his mind. He pushed Qin Ziyu away, but his hand landed somewhere specific, causing Qin Ziyu to let out a shrill cry.
“Ah!”
Qin Ziyu clutched his chest, tears uncontrollably spilling from his eyes. There was a searing, burning pain in his chest.
Seeing the Prince’s face turn instantly pale not looking like an act, Xiao Ci’s brow furrowed tightly, the lines etching deep into his forehead.
With trembling hands, Qin Ziyu took small, shallow breaths, as if trying to ease the pain.
Xiao Ci sat in place, watching him curl into a ball. The memorial in his hand was slowly crushed out of shape.
“This official still has duties. If Your Highness is unwell, please return to the Eastern Palace immediately.” He shouted toward the door, “Someone!”
Xiao Wen-zi pushed the door open, his body wrapped in the cold outside air. “This servant is here.”
“Escort His Highness back to the Eastern Palace.”
As soon as the words were spoken, his sash was grabbed by a slender, pale, gaunt hand. The voice was trembling from the effort of enduring pain: “I… I’m not leaving.”
“I came here to sleep with you. I’m not leaving.”
Xiao Ci’s face remained grim. “Xiao Wen-zi.”
Xiao Wen-zi steeled himself and stepped forward to pull at Qin Ziyu, forcibly dragging him away. At this point, he couldn’t care about “committing an offense against a superior.”
Qin Ziyu had no strength to begin with; he let go of the sash with a look of resentment.
“I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, no matter what, I’m staying.
Seeing his master being kicked out, Qing’an wrapped a cloak around him from head to toe. “Your Highness.”
Qin Ziyu shook his head. A cold wind blew in, chasing away the warmth of the hall, and his body temperature dropped rapidly.
He clutched the cloak, his other hand resting weakly on Qing’an’s. “Let’s go.”
As he turned away, the frailty on Qin Ziyu’s face vanished. The person who had just been piteously clutching his chest seemed to be someone else entirely. Qing’an lowered his eyes and respectfully supported him as they walked back.
“Qing’an.”
“This servant is here.”
“Find out the schedule for tomorrow. Don’t let me make a trip for nothing,” Qin Ziyu said.
Qing’an bowed. “Yes, this servant understands.”
Under the swaying shadows of the moon, the master and servant walked along the corridor, one deep step and one shallow. A wailing cold wind blew behind them. Qin Ziyu wanted to walk faster, but he simply couldn’t; before long, he was covered in sweat.
About seven minutes later, several men came running with a sedan chair. Leading them was Xiao Wu-zi, the eunuch from Kaiyang Hall.
“The wind is strong tonight. It will be faster if Your Highness takes the sedan.”
Qin Ziyu smiled. “Thank your master for me.”
Good progress. Last time he left me ignored and walked away; this time he knew to send a sedan.
As the saying goes: Good news stays indoors, but bad news travels a thousand miles.
Soon, the news of Qin Ziyu being kicked out of Kaiyang Hall spread. The eunuchs and maids of various palaces were whispering about it in private. Countless people were punished that day; the Imperial Noble Concubine even had several “brainless” servants beaten with boards to make an example of them. By nightfall, the rumors finally quieted down.
Qin Ziyu had Qing’an watch Kaiyang Hall. As expected, Xiao Ci wasn’t there all day; he had left the palace early.
Qin Ziyu shook his head. Young people truly are pure-hearted.
Lu Moyun scoffed, “A eunuch how could he not be pure-hearted?”
“Can’t you show a bit of restraint? Even Chancellor Cao, who usually ignores worldly affairs and only reads the classics, has heard about it. He asked me what was going on. They surely think you’ve gone mad from your illness.”
Qin Ziyu found it strange. “It’s not like I was the one spreading the word.”
“The palace is full of eyes and ears. There are too many people who don’t want me to have a good life.”
Lu Moyun said, “Perhaps this might actually turn out to be a lucky break.”
“This isn’t a ‘lucky break’.” Qin Ziyu leaned on his shoulder. “Your ‘big brother’ here is clever, wise, and as beautiful as a flower. When everyone knows I am despised by Xiao Ci, it makes it even harder for him to move against me.”
Lu Moyun took the opportunity to lay the Prince’s wrist flat on the table and pressed three fingers onto it. “Clever and wise… no comment. But ‘beautiful as a flower’ is true.”
Qin Ziyu was actually quite dissatisfied with the original host’s looks.
“Looks like a pretty boy.”
Lu Moyun glanced at him sideways. “Actually, it looks quite similar to your original self just with paler skin, larger eyes, and a shrunken height.”
Qin Ziyu grew angry at the mention of it. “It’s more than just the height!”
Lu Moyun looked down. “…Did ‘this’ part shrink too?”
Qin Ziyu slammed the table and stood up. “Once I ascend the throne, I must appoint you as the Chief Eunuch!”